Countdown the best world music albums with WMN's audio chart.

  1. 1. Bellowhead - Broadside

    Bigger, bolder and brassier than ever, Bellowhead blaze back with their new album ,Broadside. 

    Bellowhead is an 11-piece British folk group founded by John Spiers and Jon Boden in 2004.  Their ensemble is a mix of strings with brass-blasting jazz, vocal harmony and a shanty crew. Broadside is a unique name for the group as 'a broadside' is the deafening explosive fussilade from a fighting ship, when all the canons are fired at once. The musical contribution from each of the 11 members of the group summarize this quite well. 

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  2. 2. Varttina - Utu

    Varttina is a Finnish folk music band which started back in 1983 in the village of Raakkyla in Karelia. Not only has their new album Utu been released but the band has gone through a number of upheavals. The singers have captivated audiences with their harmonies, their extraordinary stage presence and their portrayals of female Finnish legends. This album will have you singing along. 

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  3. 3. Geomungo Factory - Metamorphosis

    The Geomungo Factory are one of South Korea's most exciting groups and their music can be described as Astor Piazzolla going Korean. They have recently released their debut album Metamorphosis where four players play a traditional Korean instrument called the 'geomungo', a long zither with six strings which is struck with a stick. Where traditionally the geomungo would be played solo with percussive accompaniment, in this new album they bring these zithers together composing new music.Geomungo Factory create sensational textures with delicate plucked strings, animated bowing and compelling string effects. 

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  4. 4. Rumi Ensemble & Salar Aghili - In The Footprints Of Rumi

    The album's compositions are dedicated to the poetry of Jalaleddin Rumi, the 13 Century Sufi who is honoured in Iran. The Rumi Ensemble was founded by Javid Afsari Rad who is a member of the renowned percussion ensemble Zarbang. There are players from Zarbang and other Iranian musicians in the Rumi Ensemble, as well as a Norwegian string quintet, vocalist Salar Aghili and other best young Iranian singers.  Rad is the composer and arranger of the pieces on this album and follows the classical Persian musical ideas. He uses instrumental and vocal improvisations with western harmonies. 

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  5. 5. Lau - Race The Loser

    From the moment Lau ventured into public, audiences reacted positively to their exciting ensemble playing and new ideas and arrangements. Their music dips in unexpected contours with mood swings from rock to jazz improvisations, and other areas. The group is made up of vocals, guitar, accordion, electronics and fiddle.

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  6. 6. The Souljazz Orchestra - Solidarity

    Solidarity is an ecclectic collaborative album featuring artists from Canada's exciting underground scene including Senegalese-Canadian Élage M'baye, Brazilian-Canadian singer-songwriter Rômmel Teixeira Ribeiro, and Jamaican-Canadian vocalist Slim Moore known for his collaborations with Mar-Kays. Their music is rooted in rhythmically rich musical traditions of the past, the Souljazz Orchestra push the boundaries of soul, jazz and tropical styles with a new set of songs. 

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  7. 7. C.K Mann & His Carousel 7 - Funky Highlife

    C.K.Mann made his name as a virtuoso guitar player in Ghana when he played with Moses Kweku Oppong in the Kakaikus Guitar Band in the early 60s. C.K. Mann & His Carousel 7’s classic album Funky Highlife has been re-issued and available for download this year.

    Funky Highlife is a fusion of highlife and soul. The best-known track ‘Asafo  Beesuon Medley’ is a multi layered funk track that blends handclaps, foot stomps, choirs, drums and percussion. 

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  8. 8. Sotho Sounds - Junk Funk

    Sotho Sounds will be releasing their debut album called Junk Funk. The band met while shepherding in the hills of Lesotho and their album is the first recording to come from Lesotho. Their instruments are crafted out of recycled materials. Their guitars are constructed from tin can and bicycle wires and  they play on a monochord fiddle which is performed melodiously beside a heavy drum beat. 

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  9. 9. Lucas Santtana - O Deus Que Devasta Mas Tambem Cura

    Lucas Santtana has explored his creativity with this new album O Deus Que Devasta Mas Tambem  Cura  which translates to The God Who Devastates Also Cures resulting in a cosmopolitan infectious pop album. There are elements of samba, electro and reggae. Santtana’s nationality is described as Brazilian but he increasingly sets himself apart as an artist no differently to other forward thinking artists. 

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  10. 10. Amira Kheir - View From Somewhere

    Amira Kheir has been enchanting audiences around the world with a sound inspired by traditional music from her homeland Sudan and with elements of Jazz, Soul, East and West African as well as Middle Eastern music. The music reflects Sudan’s rich musical and cultural heritage and also echoes the artist’s afro-centric and jazz style influences. 

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  11. 11. Oratnitza - Oratnitza

    WMN’s Battle of the Band previous winners were Oratnitza and won with their track ‘ Mari Mariiko’. The group came together while busking near the Bulgarian sea side a fews years go. The group interprets traditional songs through hiphop, dubstep, irregular rhythms and Australian aboriginal music.

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  12. 12. Kristi Stassinopoulou & Stathis Kalyviotis - Greekadelia

    Pioneers of reinvented folk, Kristi and Stathis remix traditional demotika songs to reflect their own experiences of urban life in Greece. A previous release by the acclaimed duo topped the World Music Chart for five months, and they are once again set to shake up the scene with Greekadelia: this is Greek folk as it has never been heard before.

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  13. 13. The Touré-Raichel Collective - The Tel Aviv Session

    A true collaboration between Israeli superstar Idan Raichel (keyboard) and Malian guitar virtuoso Vieux Farka Touré (guitar). The album demonstrates the maturing of both artists' work and is a musical conversation between the duo's cultures and musical background.


  14. 14. Sam Lee - Ground of it's own

    Folk darling Sam Lee's debut album, Ground Of It's Own is a collection of poignant earthy songs. Lee's voice is richly toned with an old-time feel. 'Goodbye My Darling' is a sweet love song that picks up the pace as it progresses. Listening to this elegant song one thing becomes clear, the burgeoning English folk revival will surely triumph with Sam at the helm! 

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  15. 15. Krar Collective - Ethiopia Super Krar

    Krar Collective serve up mind-blowing Ethiopian grooves on this excellent debut. Armed with their krar, kebero drums and stunning vocals, they have created Ethiopia Super Krar – an album rooted in tradition, and soaked with attitude.

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  16. 16. Jeannot Bel - Kuetumbari

    Jeannot Bel is a Congolese guitarist  who his based in the UK. The style of music he plays is predominantly soukous , a style similar to many albums released in Paris during the 19080s and 1990s. This album should appeal to any commercial soukous style fans who enjoy music by Kanda Bongo Man, Awilo Longomba or Coeurs Brises. 

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  17. 17. Meridian Brothers - Desesperanza

    Bogota's Meridian Brothers just released their new album 'Desesperanza' on the 24th November with Soundway Records. Traditional instruments, electronics and distorted vocals create a world that is as unique as it is unclassifiable. Listen out for the psychedelic blend of Latin rhythms and grooves. 

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  18. 18. Wilber Calver- Diaspora

    Cuban-born bagpiper Wilber Calver has created a kaleidoscope of Afro-Cuban and Celtic sounds. This album features an exciting fusion of celtic melodies with Afro-Cuban roots arranged and produced by Alex Wilson. 

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  19. 19. Thonghuad Faited - Diew Sor Isan

    This new album features veteran sor master Thonghuad Faited. The sor is a stand- up fiddle which would have remained at the back of the band, however Thonghuad Faited's virtuosity on this instrument has placed it in the front. EM Records of Japan has released an outstanding compilation of Faited's best work from the golden era of the 1970s. Most of the tracks were recorded with the famous Pecth Burapa band which provides a molam groove throughout. 

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  20. 20. Trio Garufa - El Rumor De Los Tangos

    Trio Garufa is an international ensemble dedicated to performing Argentine music. They have performed across Argentina, Canada and the U.S. This album features 17 tracks with rhythmic interpretations of classic tangos of Astor Piazzolla's music, original compositions, string arrangements and Argentine folk melodies. 

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